my boy kris, asked me if i could guide him through this fast.
i was chilling in fast, high in convo with the trees outside the window of our class, when kris rolled up on me.
i'm going start fasting with you come monday, he said. one meal a day. how long is it for?
30 days i said.
i'll do it with you the whole time. should i start tomorrow?
start monday, i said. you need to preapre. i'll come up with some suggestions for doing so.
kris and i've been banging for the past few. he's calm, patient, humble, and giving. this may be my gravitation towards him, he reminds me of home - my folks and their ways. he digs my lifestyle - diet, yoga, prayer, worship through mindfulness in Air Land Liquid Atmosphere Heat = ALLAH = 5 = 1 = 0.
figured I'd post the suggestions. figured it might be helpful for others as well, to practice the deeper dimension of this month.
suggestions for practice of fasting based on the path of Surrender to the Source of Peace (Islam):
1. prepare your body, by training your mind to move from Spirit vs senses. how?
a. mindful meditation, 5 minutes a day. during this time:
-find a place to sit, alone.
-close your eyes.
-breath deep; long inhalations, long exhalations.
-once your breath has deepened, watch your thoughts. how?
-to do this, step outside yourself by looking at yourself from the third person, i.e., kris is
thinking about a twix bar, and having bufallo chicken wings with barbecue sauce
dripping from it. kris is now thinking about all the bills he has to pay, and how there is a
deadline for a paper, and about... just watch your thoughts. notice. that's all.
b1. pray.
-pray by going from standing to bowing your head down on the ground.
-spend time in the bowing. keep your head down for a while.
-sit up, and bow again.
-stand up again.
-do this twice.
-after the second time, turn your head east and then west, saying peace over each shoulder.
-once you are surrounded in peace, and have humbled yourself, then place your hand in
beggars position.
-now pray. pray for those you love, those who have hurt you, for yourself. pray by asking.
-to begin with, pray 2 times a day: once before the sun comes up & just as the sun is coming
down.
b2. pray before eating.
-pause before your meal.
-close your eyes.
-center by recalling the last time you ate and the time before that. in doing so, remind yourself
that this is just a moment, and like all moments, will pass.
-now, think about the origin of the food, what was involved in bringing this food into existence,
i.e, rice with lentils and carrots - these ingredients came from the earth, the soil, which was
fed by the sun, and nourished by the water and air. These ingredients were raised by farmers
who helped give them birth and bring them into the world. They were cooked by my mother
with love. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
c. diet.
-take out meat.
-take out one meal.
-increase water, herbal teas, lemon water.
d. keep a journal.
-5 minutes a day: write about all the things you found yourself desiring that day,
i.e. today i kept thinking about the all you can eat crab and shrimp and pasta special at red
lobster, i found myself wanting to goto the supermarket and get a bunch of trail mixes and
granola and chocolate and ice cream n ground beef, n chicken wings. i found that i wanted to
smack kay for being so negative and trying to play me by saying that i was selfish for taking a
call, after we'd spent an hour talking about nothing. today i found myself talking when i didn't
need to and engaging in superficial conversation. i felt real sad, when i thought about my
mom. today i wanted to buy the new nikes everyone is rocking, especially when i saw how
millie was check out ali when he walked in with his new kicks.
E. hygiene.
-take time to groom, keeping clean.
F. walk light.
-take only what you need and not more.
-this will help you be mindful of the elements, I.e., how long does it take you to get clean in the
shower? 2 minutes? then turn off the water after this. water is sacred and scarce. how much do
you need to drive? 1 hour going, 1 hour coming. cool. avoid deviations that may mean burning
more gas, causing air to be more polluted. air is sacred. etc. etc.
this is a good start. holler if you have any qts...
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